AIR POLLUTION & HEALTH

Air pollution harms every organ in our bodies, so it's important that not only we reduce it, but that we take steps to avoid it.

Air pollution gets into our lungs and eyes irritating them directly and some of it passes into our blood and affects our whole bodies. It affects the health of everyone who breathes it.

At the lowest level that can be a runny nose or coughing, but its worst effects include heart attacks, asthma attacks, strokes, cancer and diabetes. These occur at the pollution levels we breathe in London.

Air pollution is like smoking - every bit of exposure adds up over time, and high exposure over time has the greatest health effects.

People who are already sick are affected the most, as are people who might have weaker immune systems like children and older people.

If you live in a high pollution area, your greater exposure makes your risk higher. So it's important to avoid air pollution as well as reducing the pollution you cause yourself.

It helps a lot if you do exercise, like walking or cycling instead of driving, as this both reduces pollution emitted and helps improve your physical fitness and so resistance to disease.

The Health Effects of Air Pollution

Air pollution affects everyone who breathes it, at every stage of our lives, from before birth through old age. The tiniest particles, called fine particulates (PM₂.₅), are small enough to get deep into lung tissue and blood.

They travel throughout the body, including into unborn babies, causing inflammation that triggers cardiovascular disease, lung diseases and risk of death from heart attacks, strokes, cancer and diabetes. These effects occur at the pollution levels we breathe in London today.

Larger particulate matter (PM₁₀) sticks in the upper airways and lungs. Metals and chemicals in them cause inflammation, leading to heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory illnesses. Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), mainly from traffic, is linked to respiratory diseases. Research in London has found that children exposed to NO₂ have reduced lung capacity for life.

Air Pollution Over Our Lifetimes

Air pollution harms us from the very beginning of life. Even before birth, pollution passes from a pregnant mother's blood into her unborn baby, causing low birth weight and premature birth. As babies grow into children, their weaker immune systems make them particularly vulnerable.

Children breathe faster than adults and spend more time outdoors, so can end up breathing more pollution, slowing lung development. If you have asthma, pollution can trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. The worst effects build up over time and emerge in adulthood: heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, COPD and lung cancer.

As we get older, our immune systems weaken leaving us more vulnerable, and longer term exposure effects like dementia, heart attacks and strokes can emerge.

Air Pollution Affects Some People More Than Others

Air pollution affects everyone who breathes it, but doesn't affect all equally. Some people are more affected because they live in more polluted areas, breathe more pollution, or their bodies are more vulnerable. The most vulnerable face all three: more vulnerable, more exposed, higher impact.

If you're older, your immune system is weaker and you're more likely to already have heart or lung problems. If you're a child, your developing body and weaker immune system make you more susceptible. If you're pregnant, pollution passes to your unborn baby. If you live near a busy road, your greater exposure makes your risk higher. If you're already sick with heart or lung disease, you're affected the most.

Low-income communities face the worst impacts. They're more likely to have existing health problems, live near industry or busy roads, and have less access to healthy food, decent housing and green spaces. These disadvantages pile up, adding to their risks.

A Leading Preventable Cause of Death

Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to our health and the third most preventable cause of death in the UK. In each of our boroughs, it contributes to around 100-200 deaths per year [link to ERG report to be added]. Across the UK, that adds up to more than 30,000 deaths annually, which is why local authorities and the Government take it so seriously.

Like smoking, every bit of exposure adds up. Even small reductions in exposure help protect health. So you can make a difference. If you walk or cycle instead of driving, you both cut the pollution you cause and improve your fitness. Other steps include avoiding high pollution areas, switching off your engine when parked, and using cleaner heating. Your choices combine with council measures to protect everyone's health.